Story of a Guy named Genrou
by Mercurial Angel
Summary: Genrou becomes a celebrity overnight after his sensational win at the Interstate Grand Prix Championships, and finds that returning to normal school life is harder than it looks. And then there's that new student, Houjun, at college...R&R Please! Ch9 up!
1. The first day of school

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From the Author:

Aha. *grins and flashes a peace sign* This is my first attempt at writing a mix of humor and drama and romaaaaaance in one ficcy and from a POV too! This is SLASH, has VULGAR LINGO (courtesy of the Tasuki/Genrou Voracious Vocals Cooperation) and therefore if you CAN'T TAKE IT PLEASE DON'T READ IT. *wink* Granted, the idea was super spontaneous and thus has no rigid guidelines, it therefore also has zero rights, all of which belong to the lucky chick Yuu Watase (is that her?) Ehehehe….well do tell me what you think….if the idea is good enough…..or anything, crap, if it's even good enough to continue. -_- 

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Chapter One

As I hurtled around the corner, the mud splattered on the windscreen, making the route near impossible to navigate. Gritting my teeth, I closed my eyes and floored the accelerator on instinct. I was so close…the final lap…

As the car skidded onto the dirt track, the screech of the wheels below and the muffled sounds of cheering outside made me smile. I accelerated to 200 miles an hour, feeling the car nudge the ground and balk as it surged forward. 

There was the black and white flag. I was going to make it.

A red blur shot past me and I nearly screamed in annoyance. _Fuuuuuuuck!!! Ayuru!!!_

There was no way I was going to lose. I exhaled shakily as my adrenaline climbed to an all time high. _I'm not going to lose._

I shifted the gears and dug the pedal to the floor. As the car shot past the steadily cranking red Ferrari, I allowed myself a wicked grin. Last corner. I twisted the wheel in my hands and tore it to the right that split second ahead of Ayuru.

The checkered banner flapped onto my windscreen as I braked instantly to a smoking stop. I could smell the faint burn of tires. My hands were shaking as perspiration dripped down the side of my face. 

_Damn. What a ride._

When I got out of the car, I had stopped trembling from the sheer thrill of it all, but nearly blinded by the white-hot flashes of light that snapped in my face. _Wh—_

A weight slammed into me from the side, and I was thrown back against the car's left side, and the hug that proceeded very nearly deprived me of breath as I choked and gagged and flailed as much from the strangle-hold as from the dust.

"GENROU, YOU LUCKY BASTARD, YOU WON!!!!"

I stopped struggling as the realization sank into my head. 

__

Wait. This is the Interstate Grand Prix. I'm racing for finals. I'm the youngest team member of Mercedes. And…

Oh.

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_Ah. I love being me._

Grinning madly to myself, I grabbed my bag and hopped out of the car, stuffing my keys into my pocket and made my way across campus.

"Genrou!"

I turned immediately, only to be met with the adoring face of a familiar girl, and I shivered involuntarily. It was her.

"Hello!" she chirped, and I gulped and shriveled as she hooked an arm through mine. Miaka was a girl from my English class. She was as close to a nerd as you could get, albeit an exceptionally clumsy one. I had caught her sprawled on the floor the first day of school when I had walked into class, and the next moment she had screamed and made a scene. Something about chocolate.

Now mind you, I have nothing against girls. I can get along just fine with them. It's just against my religion to have them plastered on my face.

"So are you still into racing? Are you?"

I cringed as she turned and chattered excitedly into my ear, but I caught sight of a familiar head just in front. Snatching my arm back as unobtrusively as I could, I raced the few paces and thumped the guy enthusiastically. "Kouji!"

I could see Miaka out of the corner of my eye, and prayed silently. _Don't come near me, please don't come near me._ Then a loud smack on my head whipped my attention around, and I blinked at the narrowed slits that glared eyeball to eyeball with me.

"Genrou? How.many.times.have.I.told.you.not.to.do.THAT?"

I squawked and backed away, turning to flee but running smack into a group of occupied girls. They looked up in surprise as I lost my balance and nearly tripped, but was saved when Kouji reached out a hand to grab the back of my shirt. I stood there feeling like an unbelievable moron when it happened.

A page of the currently perused newspaper fluttered to the ground, and I immediately wished for my sunglasses, if only to avoid the keen, then wondering, then excited glances.

There, plastered across the front page of the state newspaper's sports section under a bold black headline, was Genrou Shun of the prestigious Asroburn College.

In other words. Me.

I fled to the piercing screams of adulation and the sound of Kouji going nearly berserk with laughter.

That little bastard.

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With the stolen cap now perched as low as it could go on my forehead, I prayed it safe to enter class. The room was noisy with all the greeting and laughter, but I spotted a window seat at the furthest corner and practically raced to it, clutching my bag to myself.

Well. I hadn't been recognized any other time. There were high hopes of it turning out to be a perfectly normal first school day of the second term.

The new teacher, an anorexic-looking, bespectacled woman who looked distinctly out of place with her gray and white power suit and hairnet, walked in. I groaned silently. There would be no order with the kind of teacher they had provided us. I had been hoping to pass English this term.

The noise level did not stop, if anything, it increased in volume. I closed my eyes and sank into my chair.

SLAAAAAM!!!

Shocked, I nearly fell off, but the leg of the chair getting caught in the table luckily prevented that. The class had fallen silent. And every eye in the room darted cautiously towards the new teacher.

A long, evil looking metal ruler winked from her left hand. A small smile spread on her face.

_Wow. That's power from such a skinny wrist._ I noted it down mentally and filed it away for future reference. 

"Well then, class. Take your seats. Good morning!"

Silence.

It was almost funny. I gulped and tried to swallow a snicker as the group of boisterous guys, whom I recognized as varsity football players, dispersed so suddenly it was almost as though they had never been there.

"I suppose you would be very disappointed if we followed the tradition of the no-work bar on the first day of school. You all did come here to learn, didn't you?"

Nobody answered. I was speechless with awe.

"All right, then shall we all turn to our textbooks page—"

The door swung open, and automatically, the attention was diverted from The Fearsome Presence in front of the class to a slim boy standing in the doorway, his face flushed and his book-bag banging against his hip.

"Sorry I'm late!"

I watched the teacher with interest, as a delicate eyebrow rose at the late entrance. Smoothly, a pencil appeared from nowhere and traced the attendance sheet rapidly, then slowed and stopped at the bottom, where it liberally circled a name.

"Ah. A new student to Asroburn College. Boys and girls, you will please welcome Ri Houjun."


	2. God. Tell me I'm dreaming!!!

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A/N:Eheheheheh yes I'm baaaaack with a new chapter!!!!! Thankies so much to those who took the effort to review the first part!!!! I hope you all enjoy this bit!!! Don't forget to read and review!!!!

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Chapter Two

The name sounded oddly familiar in my head, and I turned my attention, truly turned it, to the boy, or rather, the back of the boy, because the newcomer had walked over to the teacher's table and begun speaking to her in a hushed voice. Not that I took much notice of what they were saying, because I was too busy scrutinizing The New Fry of Asroburn College. For some strange reason, his back actually fascinated me. I mentally slapped myself inside out. But…back to the fry.

He seemed to be your average sort of guy. Hey, I mean, reeeeeally average kind of guy. He was of average height. He had an average haircut; this jet blue-black hair that fell just over his eyes, at least from what I could see where I sat. He wore average clothes (this plain yellow sweater with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and the whole ensemble tucked partially into black cargoes). I noted with interest the shoes, though. They were a spanking shade of electric blue, but somebody else's foot blocked the laces from my view. The left shoe tapped the ground lightly, and then turned around.

"—so go there and take that empty spot, Houjun."

I snapped my head back to the higher proportions of the guy, and nearly choked when I saw that he was heading towards me. No, I didn't choke because he was coming here, duh. I choked because he looked so…goddamn familiar! No, he wasn't as good-looking as Saihitei Toru, the self-proclaimed resident model (okay, okay, I admit, Saihitei does look nice. Sometimes.) 

In fact, he was pretty ordinary. His eyes were practically hidden as much from the wire-rimmed glasses, but also the fringe that swept the top of his cheekbones lightly. Yet…even that seemed familiar…

_Waaaait a sec, Gen, all that racetrack dust must be doing you mental. This is a new boy at school. Transfer, probably, because it's already second term. And you think you've seen him before?_

I pulled the cap lower and studiously bent to the open textbook in front of me. I could just see The Shoes out of the corner of my eye, with silver laces so fluorescent they gleamed in the sunlight. The shoes stopped. About five inches from my own Nikes. And then he sat down next to me.

The Fearsome Presence had a voice that made me stay awake, and to my utmost surprise I realized that maybe English this term wasn't going to be so hard after all. In that two-hour block, I wrote an essay titled "Myself", for my first assignment, ya know the whole get-to-know-you thing, and a book review on a memorable story. I chose The Legends of Racing, by Stuart McDonya. I luuuuuurve that book.

It was only when the teacher had left the room, and only a few of us remained in the room, that my mind returned to the character beside me, who was currently scribbling away at something on a red journal. He had remained quiet all this while.

_Ah well. He's a new student. Best to make him feel welcome. Guess I could do the damn honors._

I shifted the chair back and winced as it scraped the ground, then swung my feet over the side so that I was facing him. Gee, he was absorbed. He didn't even notice me reaching out to tap him on the shoulder until I did.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Hello!" he smiled at me, his eyebrows knotting as he looked me over, the pencil scratching all the little carbon molecules onto the paper all the while. Okay, so maybe I couldn't see him very well, what with the cap pulled practically over my mouth. With a sigh, I reached up to remove the cap. He probably wasn't going to recognize me anyway. 

_Genrou Shun, you're such an egotistical ass…what makes you think anyone will even know you won a competition? The girls this morning had the damn fucking newspaper with my fat face plastered across it. That's the only way they could have known me._

It wasn't like I was particularly popular at college, anyway. Um, I mean, yea I had my own group, like Kouji and the rest, you know? But I wouldn't be caught dead out with people like Soi, who tended to think that being elected head cheerleader meant she had a pea of a brain.

With that thought in mind, I snapped the cap off with a flourish, and looked up to grin at my new classmate expectantly.

Only…he wasn't cooperating. If anything, he looked like he was in shock. 

I raised my eyebrows silently.

His eyes had shot open so wide I was almost afraid his eyeballs would fall out, and this was the first time I had understood anything by a jaw hitting the floor. He seemed to have frozen on the spot. Even the pencil had stopped. _Freak. I'm not that ugly, idiot. Am I?_

"Genrou?" he whispered.

Oh, shit. He knew who I was.

"Don't say ANYTHING!" I screeched, scooting back into my chair and yanking the cap back on. God. How was I going to survive the year? I wanted to be a normal guy, not some twit who would get recognized every other corner he turned.

He opened his mouth to reply.

"NO!" I insisted, waving my pencil case threateningly in his direction. "I don't want to hear ANY OF IT! NO MORE FUCKING RACECAR DISCUSSIONS!"

Houjun blinked rapidly, even as I glared at him. Then…he reached out with one hand. And before I could move, or say another word, he touched me. Just a light, soft touch on my face. My pupils dilated in sheer surprise. I sensed a torrent of babbling pushing it's way up my throat, but the more habitual response kicked in first.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YA THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?!?!" I knocked his hands away and tried to stand. Unfortunately for me, he decided to do the same at the exact same moment, and we ended up facing each other, plastered so close together that rainwater couldn't have seeped through. As if running away was still an option, I suddenly felt my hands being seized, tightly, and gripped as I turned my panicked gaze back to meet Houjun's. 

_I'm calm. I'm cool. I'm collected._

"EXCUSE M—" I started shrilly, until I was cut off abruptly by a gentle pressure on my lips. It tasted sweet, of strawberries and cream, and smelt vaguely of the fresh flowers in the college store. Without thinking, I pressed forward.

He murmured against my lips something I couldn't make out. But the sound, and gentle vibration on my fired senses, succeeded in bringing me immediately back to reality, with as horrific an impact as a brick would have on my head if it fell from a twenty-storey building. With trembling hands, I dug my heels into the ground and pushed him away as hard as I could.

I stood there, staring at him as he stared at me, the cap long abandoned. His eyes were filled with some emotion I couldn't even begin to decipher, let alone understand. His face was flushed and he panted slightly even as he stared unflinchingly at my face. I turned crimson to my toes. 

_My god. MY GOD. _

I. JUST. KISSED. A. GUY. 

I grabbed my books, shoved them roughly into the bag, and fled, nearly beheading myself on the wooden beam above the doorway as I ran blindly.

"—suki!" I heard him cry after me, but I was too busy thinking of getting the hell out of there to bother comprehending. 

__

Hellooooooo. I don't even know the guy.

Some introduction that was.


	3. That's my counselor!!!

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Ehehehehehe thank you all SO MUCH for the great reviews!!!! You're all so nice and encouraging!!!! Sooooo…..here it is!!!! Chapter Three!!!! *grins and waves*

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Chapter Three

As I skidded around the corridor, fairly certain that my shoes were making smoke trails on the floor, I crashed into something. Hard.

The impact sent me flying to the wall, and as I slammed there, my breath diffused out of me, through my clothes, and into the concrete. Along with coherent thought of course. Automatically, I reached up to feel the large bruise forming on my jaw. 

_OWWWWWW._

"Fu—oh, _fuc_—" 

Before I completed my sentence, I became aware. Very suddenly aware of a living, breathing weight heaving shakily. On me. 

"Aaaaaaargh!!!" my eyelids flew open as I backpedaled furiously, scrambling as my right hand got entangled in the strap of my bag. "What the—!"

"Don't start on me, Genrou. I could report you for running in the corridor and causing grievous hurt to another student."

My focus immediately swung to the petite, dazed-but-obviously-still-sane-enough-to-threaten-me (Imagine that! Hah, me! Threaten ME!), and wincing guy who was similarly sprawled out on the floor. A good way away, and bedecking the halls in resplendent and liberal glory, books and papers were strewn, and the enormity of what I had done sank in.

I had just flattened the student council's president. The ace student of the current senior batch, valedictorian-in-the-running, musical extraordinaire cum student counselor, Asroburn's prodigy of the twenty-first century. Wildly popular, recognized by nearly all the faces on campus if only for the color of his hair, lead guitarist of the school's performing band by choice and A-list hunk (or so that's what the girls say…you don't expect ME to hold that opinion, do ya?) by fate. 

"Ah," I began as violet eyes glared and narrowed in the approximate direction of my left ear. "Ryuuen?"

No response. I was beginning to get nervous. 

"Ryuuen?" I tried again, getting to my knees and hesitantly waving a hand in front of his face. "Hey buddy! Wake up already!"

Again, silence. This time though, his glare pointedly came to rest on my face, before deliberately moving past me to scan the floor behind me, and the mess that adorned it. I prepared to flee. 

A slim hand shot out and caught my wrist.

"HEY! Let go of meeee!!!! This is no fucki—"

"If you swear again, I'm going to report you," a glint in the violet eyes and a small twist in the set lips made me reconsider the option of taking the stand of indignant abuse. I tried as inconspicuously as I could to nudge my wrist away. 

Damn. The guy was strong.

"Ryuuuuuuen!" I protested in vain. He raised an eyebrow at me, and I was seriously on the edge of freaking out when the corner of his mouth tugged downward in a wry, controlled expression. And then the bastard started laughing. 

"God, Genrou, I've missed you."

I growled at him, indicating my wrist. "That's nice. Now will you PLEASE let me go?"

Okay, maybe this was the part I hadn't explained, like how I knew him and all that. See, in my first term, Ryuuen was the student leader who had been assigned to my group. I registered late for Asroburn because I had been in France for their annual Grand Prix Championships, so naturally, the rooms had all been booked. Ryuuen, being the amazingly good guy that he is, actually let me bunk in with him in his single dorm, which he got on account of his connections with the creepy under-grown weed you call a college secretary. We had gotten along pretty fine, actually. But through the holidays, my mother had applied for my own dorm, and it had been assigned, which basically meant that I now had my own room, and could stop imposing on Ryuuen. Not that I was going to tell him that I was really sorry or anything. Are you kidding?

I bit my lip as he grinned cheerfully and waved the hand that was still clasping my wrist in an iron grip. "I really wanted to run into you today. Not as sedate as I would have preferred, perhaps, but I just wanted to find out how you were doing. And to tell you that I still have a few of your things that I got to return to you."

Aaaaah. I was truly touched. I mean, the first day of school and he thinks about that little groupie who haunted him the entire past three months? But seriously. I felt oddly sincere for that space of three seconds, before I hastened to arrange my features into a mask of nonchalance. "I'm doin' great, Ryuuen. And you're still holding my hand. Earth to Ryuuen."

"Will you help me pick up all the stuff you just made me drop?"

I sweated. "Do I have a choice?"

He laughed, a quick flash of white teeth as he let me go. "No."

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I sat in the familiar room, bouncing slightly on the bed and rumpling the black covers. Ryuuen emerged from the other end of the room, holding a large box with the remaining of my belongings that I had neglected to pack. 

"Need help?" I called out. He snorted, and dumped the box at my feet. The dust particles flew up and into my face, causing me to go into a choking, coughing fit. God, it fucking STUNG! 

Through the fog and the blood rushing to my head, I caught sight of Ryuuen shrugging. "Don't look at me," he grinned as he dusted his hands on his jeans. "I found those while I was packing for term break, but you had already gone, so I just let it sit in that corner."

I wheezed in reply, standing and blinking rapidly as the reflex wetness soothed my traumatized eyes. 

"So. I heard you're a big thing now."

I thought I heard a strange undertone to his voice. Then again, I was probably just imagining things. "Nah."

He laughed again, the sound rippling through the air. "No? You're on the state newspapers as a promising new talent, Genrou. You're the youngest on a branded label, and you've been living up to it. I followed your event while you were in France, even before I knew you. And now you've done it again. How do you feel?"

I cringed inwardly and flopped back against the bed, cushioning my head with my arms. "I dunno, Ryuuen. I don't hate it, but I really wish things could go back to when nobody knew me."

He turned to look at me in surprise, his long purple braid swishing in the silence that followed my statement. Without pausing for thought, I continued.

"It just sucks, you know. It's not racing. Hell, I love racing, living it out in fast cars, winning, and the whole routine…"

"Then what is it?" he asked softly, coming over to sit across me in the large wicker chair I remembered. 

I shrugged again. "It's everything that comes with the racing. This morning, a whole group of geese I didn't know screamed the living daylights out of me when they saw that the guy on the newspaper and the guy in front of them were one and the same. Then some idiot kissed me in class."

I said the last part without even thinking, but Ryuuen's vocal response proved to be very successful in making me realize, with utmost horror, that I had just revealed what I had sworn I would take as a secret to my grave. 

I opened my mouth to defend myself when a loud knock came on the door.

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Eheheheheheh anyone wants ta guess who's at the door?!?!?! Sorry if this chapter was so long-winded!!!! I'm just bringing in all the other seishi, and I wanted to make them seem real!!! =P Ah, is this too boring? Let me know pleeeeeeease. I need someone to stop me before I make this so terrible that no one will want to read it anymore! *wails*

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	4. Stupid Ryuuen. Stupid Saihitei. Stupid e...

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A/N:WAAAAAAH I'm so touched by all your reviews, arigato for taking the time and the effort to review this!!!!! As for not giving Tasuki and Chichiri enough coverage…eheheheheh I know this story is a Genrou x Houjun fiction, and I PROMISE it'll all come together soon!!! 

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Chapter Four

I saw Ryuuen glance at his watch surreptitiously. Technically of course, it was break, and in the time I'd been with him I had seen more geese and guys come over than I could count. 

"Ya expectin' someone?" I asked, swinging my arms over my head and sitting up on the bed, hopping off and grimacing as my foot smashed into the box full of old clothes and insignificant medals. _Ahhhh. Paaaaaaaaain. Fuuuuuuuuck._

Ryuuen got up from the chair and trotted towards the door, his back to me. "Yea. You know who Saihitei Toru is?"

_Do I know who Saihitei Toru is? Do I know who Saihitei Toru is? Hell, even the fuckin' penguins knew who Saihitei Toru is. Duuuuuuuh._

"Yea," I slumped back onto the bed and began massaging my foot. "What's he doing here?"

Ryuuen turned and raised one eyebrow at me, one hand resting on the doorknob. He was pretty darn good at doing that. The eyebrow thing I mean. "He's my friend, Genrou. Why shouldn't he be here?" 

I shrugged. "Hell if I know."

The door opened. All hail to the king.

Okay, I know it sounds like I don't like the guy much. That's a lie. I resent that assumption.

He just really gets on my nerves sometimes.

"Hello, Ryuuen!" Saihitei stepped into the room, tugging slightly at the neck of his plain black shirt. The guy looked like he had just stepped out of a fashion magazine. Which he probably had.

The gaze turned to the middle of the room where I sat still cradling my injured foot, and a small smile tipped the corners of that soft-looking, perfectly formed, pink-as-daisies mouth. "Hey there, Genrou." With a flourish, he stepped into the room, the end of his long ebony ponytail swishing behind him. I nodded to him.

"Saihitei," Ryuuen shut the door and turned to his friend with a smile. "How's first day going?"

The taller guy stood there and looked about the room, catching my pained smile and blinking, before selecting to sit on the same wicker chair Ryuuen had just evacuated. I scowled as Ryuuen took a seat beside me on the thick comforter.

"It's pretty busy, actually. Lots of first years around this term, all running about lost and scared. It's not a pretty sight, Ryuuen, let me tell you."

Oh. That's right. I'd seen somewhere on some board the list of student leaders. Pretty Boy here was one of them, if my memory was anything to go by. _Which isn't much. I fucking concede._

"And then one guy didn't turn up for orientation this morning. I'm still hunting for the kid."

Ryuuen laughed, a low pleasant sound in contrast to Saihitei's obvious agitation. I sneaked a side-glance at Saihitei. I swear, he was wearing make-up. As he turned back I quickly looked away. Didn't want the Pretty Boy to think I was another of his crazed admirers, did I?

"Well, every year it's the same, you know. Been through it myself once or twice. Take it easy."

Saihitei turned his attention to the box sitting morosely on the floor, before looking at me. I growled. "What?" I snarled.

"Whoa, kid, calm down." That did it.

"WHO DYA THINK YA FUCKIN' GOIN' ABOUT CALLING A KID?"

Ryuuen smiled at Saihitei from behind me. "Don't mind Genrou, Sai, he's really sweet once you get to know him."

I struggled hard, fuming, against the hand that was wrapped about my waist in an iron restriction. Saihitei laughed. 

"Well anyway, it's time for me to get going. Just wanted to drop by say hi." He rose, and his gaze lingered on Ryuuen a moment longer, by which time I could feel my face turning purple. "Really got to go find Houjun now. See you later, Ryuuen. Oh, and you too, Genrou."

I froze on the spot as Ryuuen waved with his free hand, and the tall, leggy male model sauntered out, his laughter still trailing behind him even after the door had clicked shut behind him. I didn't really notice that the arm about my waist had gone, or that Ryuuen had moved in front of me and begun snapping his fingers. 

"Genrou? Genrou!"

I blinked and snapped back into functional mode. 

"Geeeeeeenroooooooou…"

I narrowed my eyes and stood up, forcing him back a few steps. "What?"

Ryuuen rose from where he had been squatting, doing that thing with his eyebrow again. "Just that you were all out to break Saihitei's neck while he was here just now, and suddenly something sucked the sound out of you. What's the matter?"

If he only knew. _Oh fuuuuuuuck._

Houjun. Saihitei had said Houjun, right? As in Ri Houjun, Houjun Ri, blue-shoed new student? How many Houjuns could there be on campus? I frowned in thought, mostly oblivious even as Ryuuen scooted closer and began peering at me suspiciously.

"Genrou, I think classes and racing so much must be getting to you. You need to get out more."

Houjun. THE Houjun. The—and to my horror I felt a flush beginning to climb up my neck and to my cheeks—guy who had…had…

"You look drunk to me, Genrou."

What had Houjun done again? Selective memory came in useful a lot of the time. 

"That's it. Let's go."

I did remember that he had the most fucking amazing honey-and-rose-tinted eyes. I had stared past the glasses into them for that one split second before he had…he had…

Ryuuen caught hold of my arm and dragged me out the door, practically lifting me up because my feet refused to budge in my trance state.

"HEY! Where you taking me off to?" I protested wildly as soon as I realized that I wasn't standing anymore.

"For coffee, silly."

Needless to say, I didn't have very much of a choice. The most popular guy in school dragged me across campus, around corners, and finally up the steps leading to the tiny café that sat on a vaguely Oriental pavilion, set right in front of the main entrance. I was almost ready to kill Ryuuen, and I would have if not for the sight that greeted me as soon as I was pulled through the swinging doors of the café.

Seated at the small table, heads bent close together, with a stack of papers higher than Mount Olympus perched in between them, were Saihitei and the guy from my class this morning. I couldn't even remember his name. What was it? 

"NO!!!" I hissed vehemently as Ryuuen, oblivious, pushed me past the threshold even as I tried to turn and scramble away. _NONONONONONONO._

Not that I was very successful in running away, because another part of me altogether wanted to freeze on the spot and just stare.

Aw. Fuck. 

__

YOU THINK HE'S CUTE, DON'T YOU?

Aaaaaaaah no this couldn't be happening to me. I wasn't gay! I was definitely not so easily taken in, least of all not by hair that looked so tempting to touch, skin that practically glowed in the sunlight, eyes I could drown in... Even as I watched them with terror etched on my features, he shifted his legs and smiled at something Saihitei was saying. 

__

He looks real good when he smiles, too.

I slammed the direction of thought in my head to dust in despair, but Ryuuen was looking around, and my eyes widened in reflex horror. _Please…no…don't…Buddha be merciful…_

Apparently, Buddha was still asleep in his lotus.

And as if in slow motion, I turned to see Ryuuen raise his hand and wave. "Saihitei!" he called. Slowly, they turned, both Pretty Boy and HIM. I wrenched my arm from Ryuuen's iron grasp with power lent only by pure desperation and prepared to run, but it was too late.

Across the mostly empty room, Ryuuen's voice echoed in my head, even as a surprised mahogany gaze locked on my own.

I turned and fled.

"Genrou!" I heard Ryuuen calling after me, but I wasn't about to stop. "Genrou!"

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That's Chapter Four! What do you all think?!!? Please read and review and let me know if I should change anything or if it's too tedious reading!!!! *bows and waves*

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	5. He promised me...

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I received reviews that the chapters before were reeeeeally PWP so I will try to make things move faster now!!!! Arigato for the help, and thank you all for the encouragement!!! Please R&R!!! *grins and buzzes off*

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Chapter Five

I felt stupid. It was the first day of school and I was cutting classes, sitting here in my car with the air-conditioner blasting in my face and a packet of half-finished fries on the dashboard. I had fled to the only place where I knew I wouldn't see Houjun again. And pray, mother, where no teacher would find me. 

_It's fuckin' humid…stupidstupidstupid….._

I think I fell asleep.

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__

It was such a hot day. I walked along the dirt path, feeling the gravel crunch beneath my feet. 

Not a cloud hung in the sky, and there were tall trees all around, added to the noisy chirping of birds somewhere above my head. But it was mostly silent. Something kept me walking.

I reached the end of the road, and stood there, gazing out. The forests stretched for miles ahead. And then I heard voices below.

I looked down. There were two people there, sitting underneath the shade of a large tree. Two men. 

One of them was dressed in baggy robes of beige and green and blue, with the strangest hair I'd ever seen. It was light blue, and wavy strands stood out from his forehead as a fringe, falling against his cheek even as he slept. In his hand, there was a strange, long wooden staff-like object that he clasped. His other hand, lightly grasping a huge cone-shaped straw hat, fell lightly against the chest of the other dozing man.

The other man wore a tunic of red over a white shirt, and black pants that were tucked into high-laced boots. Something winked in the sun; something metallic in the palm of his right hand. Hair as red as fire gleamed, lightly shadowing a face that was nestled atop the head of the other. His left hand encircled the man loosely. And as I strained to see his face, he moved slightly, turning towards me, but somehow I knew, even before I could see clearly.

That's me.

__

It was like a surreal dream. I couldn't stop myself. 

I sat down and slid past the gravelly rock slope, my feet landing with a thud on the ground as dust puffed up around my feet. My body moved of its own accord, stepping closer, moving closer…

^*^*^

Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap.

I woke, drenched in perspiration, and not because of the sun. The insistent knocking at my window that had woken me up increased in urgency, and I glared, drowsily, at the face peering at me through the glass.

"Genrou, wake up!"

Shaking my head to clear it, my eyes focused on a guy who looked vaguely familiar. Some guy from my history or biology class…Doukun, was it? 

"WAKE UP GENROU AND OPEN THE DOOR!!!"

Oh yea. How long had I been locked inside the car? The air felt strangely heavy, while my head felt strangely light. The music seemed to be muffled, as was the voice that pounded on my ears from outside.

"Fuck ya. Lemme alone," I mumbled, as the dizziness came again. I'd fall asleep, and everything would be all right.

"GENROU!!! PLEASE WAKE UP!!!!"

What was the little bugger's problem? I pulled my sweater over my head until it silenced his screaming from hearing range, and turned my back to him, shifting slightly. 

__

I'm so fuckin' sleepy…

I heard the crazy idiot curse and swear outside, stomping and yelling, but the noises felt more and more distant. _Nothing fuckin' ta do with me…_

And then the stone flew through the window, shattering it.

I would have turned and bashed Doukun as dim anger and slow outrage flooded me, but my limbs couldn't seem to move. In fact, I couldn't seem to move at all, but I wasn't thinking enough to care. 

Strong arms scooped me up from the seat where I was curled in a ball. The air, warm and fresh, hit me on the back of my head like a tidal wave of nausea. There was more babbling, more words I couldn't seem to process, but against my will I forced open my heavy eyelids as the arms shifted and cradled me. There was so much noise, filtering through the air, but it all faded to silence as I glanced up at the face contorted in fear, concern and something as akin to panic as I'd ever seen.

__

Oh god. Oh fuck. It's Houjun. He's carrying me. He's fucking carrying me. Where's he taking me? 

Yet that wasn't what was taking first priority in my fuzzy state of mind. Something about the lines of his worried face seemed familiar, the way his hair fell over his head, the way his hands felt on my body…

I knew that face from before. I knew those eyes like I had looked into them all my life. Where had I seen them before? 

There was more vague shouting, falling like cotton on my ears. The blackness was coming again. All I wanted to do was to go back to sleep.

And then one word pierced my fading consciousness. A name. I had no idea where it came from.

__

Chichiri.

^*^*^ 

__

I looked down at my chest, feeling the throbbing pain there as my hands, red and slippery with blood, touched the spear that impaled me and was slowly draining my life away. A few feet away, a mangled mass of steel, also splattered with crimson, made a small smile touch my face. I could hear the sound of running feet, of howls, of swords that clashed with ringing volumes and death. And as I stumbled to my knees, my hands gripped the spear, and I tore it out of my body, flinging it a few feet away, and falling the remainder to the ground.

Then there was a face, a face streaked with blood and wet—with tears, or rain?—and a warm weight which supported my back as I laughed again, my throat choked with sticky liquid, thick and burning hot.

That face…I reached out a hand to caress the face, but fell just short, my energy leaving me completely, but he grasped my hand and held it to his heart as he bent over me, chanting and reciting words that might have meant something if not for the despair I could feel emanating from his being.

I promised you we would be together forever._ A whisper of a promise, echoing through my body, as I entwined my fingers with the ones that held my own. I could feel my breath getting shorter, coming in raspier breaths that drew out the pain in my chest. "I'm—fu—fuckin'—so—so—sorry—Ch—Chi—Chiri—"_

"Don't say anything, Tasuki."

I could feel the blood bubbling over my lips, trickling down the side of my mouth, as I sank into the embrace that would be my last memory for eternity.

"You—you'll—f—find—me—wo—won't you—Ch--Chiri?"

He was crying. I felt sadness, deep in the core of my being, that it was I who made him cry this way. If I had a choice, I would not have seen him cry. But we never get to choose who we love, do we? 

"Always."

Always.

^*^*^

I opened my eyes, gasping as cool air flooded my lungs and blinking away tears as the stark white lights that blinded me momentarily. I tried to bring my hand up, and then I noticed it was already held tightly by a warm touch.

My eyes followed the fingers, to the hand, up the arm, hovering above the shoulder. And then I looked at his face.

_It was you._

Fuck. It was you and me.

Chichiri. Houjun. Chichiri. 

My head swam as I tried to recollect the dream, but all I had left was a voice. _Always._

"How are you feeling?" he asked gently.

^*^*^

Eheheheheh this chapter was for you to know what happened in their previous incarnation, and what had passed between them to make Chichiri retain his memories so that he could find Tasuki!!!! The Promise!!! Well yes, our resident bandit has begun to remember!!! Does anyone know what was supposed to have happened in the car?!?!?! =P Okay, I'm sorry if this chapter was really lousy, and you all want to flame me and tell me never to write again. Bleh. *hops off*

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	6. I'm not gay. Okay. Who cares. Maybe I am...

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Waaaaaaai, to all those who reviewed the last chapter, thanks so much!!!! I was seriously thinking that maybe the whole thing really sucked, and I shouldn't continue, but you all convinced me otherwise!!!! Arigato to you all for being so encouraging!!!! Anyway here is Chapter Six *winks* I hope you all like it!!!! Please read and review!!!!

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Chapter Six

I suddenly had this urge to just reach up and pull him down, hold him tight and never, ever let him go. Which was just plain fucking crazy. What I really did was to stare.

"Is something the matter?" he asked with a chuckle, bringing one hand up to adjust his glasses and push his fringe off his face. 

Now that I was awake, and looking at the new guy who had this morning just near about caused me a damn epilepsy attack, the vividness of the dreams were wearing off. _What kinda weird imagining was that? My brain is deprived of fucking oxygen. It's all gonna go away. It's all gonna go away._

I suddenly remembered that Houjun was still there. He was still looking at me, and he was still holding my hand. For some strange reason, I felt comfortable. Which was just goddamn fucking crazy, because this was the guy who had freaked me out by kissing me just a few hours ago. But before I could think of anything to say, he spoke first.

"About this morning? It was an accident, really," and then he flashed me this sincere smile, one which made his eyes twinkle behind his glasses and caused a ridiculous flush to rise to my cheeks. "We just stood up at the same time, you know. I'm really sorry if I scared you."

I sat back and couldn't help but notice the warmth around my hand. Fuck. If it had all been an accident, why in the damned world was he still holding my hand and making me feel goddamn happy about it? But it made sense, really, what the guy said. All he had done was to get up at the same time as I did, fall against me, grab my hands for balance, and plant the most memorable kiss of my life right onto my lips. I figured right there and then I wouldn't hold it against him.

"Ah shucks it's fucking all right, man!" Even to myself, my voice sounded weak and raspy. Sheeeeeeeesh. 

He laughed. 

"I wasn't really sorry about it, though."

And life was beautiful, and all was good with the world, and—backtrack a little, did he just say what I think he said?

"You what?" I sputtered.

He held up our entwined hands, and cocked his head at me. "Genrou. I think I've got a crush on you."

Wow. What a fucking nice surprise on the first day of school. _Doesn't help that he makes me go all goddamned jellied-bellied and makes me blush faster than if he'd thrown freaking paint on my face._ _And for no good reason at all. Which leads me to suspect that I am more deprived than I thought. Because the worst evidence of it all still stands, which is the simple fact that I sure as hell ain't complaining._

"Ahhhhhhh," I began eloquently. _God, my face feels hotter than a goddamned volcano…whatisitaboutthisguythatgetstome, whatisitabouthim, whatisitabouthim…_

"GENROU!" Kouji burst into the room as the door flew open so hard I would've sworn it bounced off its hinges. He ran straight in and leapt up to grab me, and I winced in anticipation of the impact. Then a shadow fell across me, and I glanced up to see Houjun rising, letting go of my hand in order to stand before me, blocking me from the sheer force of Kouji's concern.

"Shhh!" Houjun whispered sharply, commandingly. Kouji froze in mid-leap. I had the stinking suspicion that my restraint would not hold another few seconds.

"Is he awake?! Is he all right!!?? Is he dead?!!?" my best friend babbled incoherently as Houjun frowned at him. Somehow, that very act of protectiveness made me melt inside. Downright, no-doubt-about-it, melt into a fuzzy warmth and sent ticklish giggles up my spine.

_God. He looks fuckin' good when he does that. No way. He just looks fuckin' good...aaaaaaargh what am I thinkin'!?!?!?_

No kidding. If I melted anymore, I'd meet international standards for ice cream.

"He's fine. Just quit that racket. I don't want you bothering him."

Obviously, Kouji was a lot more worried for me than I had thought, because Houjun remained alive after that statement. Or perhaps it was just his tone of voice. _Yea. No one messes with the guy who wears The Blue Shoes._

Have I said I wasn't gay? Let me say it again. I'm not gay. I'm not gay. I'm. Not. Gay. Yea.

"Hey, Gen? Ya feelin' awright there, bud?"

I rolled my eyes, but the headache was still there, resulting in the room swimming in circles. No shit. I was in hospital, and the genius asked me if I was all right. But I knew he cared. That was all that mattered.

"Yea, I'm fine, Kou. Don't get your wipes wet."

He growled at me, then eyed Houjun cautiously and sneaked past the forbidding stare. He reached out and socked me gently on the arm. Just a mention. Kouji's a real sap. He'd die if anyone ever accused him of that, though, but we grew up together so I know he's really a fucking softie. Like, a water pillow.

Another face suddenly peeked around the curtain, followed by another, and another. I gulped.

"Genrou, you little dolt, you're okay!" Ryuuen hurtled onto the bed, jarring it and making me wince. "God, you had us all worried." He nodded pointedly to Houjun across the room.

"That's right, kid," Saihitei entered more leisurely, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. "It's all over campus."

Just what I fucking needed. I was too busy worrying now about how infamous I would be to retort to Saihitei calling me a kid. I felt like I was balancing on a thread, torn between anger, and a whole lot of other emotions that were slowly processing in my brain. 

"Genrou?" Doukun asked timidly from behind the curtains. I sighed.

"Yea, Doukun?"

"I didn't break your car window."

That did it. 

I doubled over and shook, tears pouring down my cheeks as I howled with laughter, making my stomach ache. Ryuuen had an eyebrow raised, Saihitei merely sighed, while Kouji hurriedly checked my temperature. I managed to look up long enough to glance at the guy standing, arms crossed, at the foot of the bed. A tiny smile, quickly wiped off, flashed on his lips.

"It was me, Genrou. Sorry."

The bastard didn't look the least apologetic. Not that I wanted him to. I had the sudden sinking feeling that he could drive my car into the fucking sea and I would still want to see that goddamned beautiful smile on that face of his. Which was bad.

_I'm not gay. I'm sure of it. At least, I think so. I'm not gay. _

So what if I am?

"Yea, Genrou, Houjun here was really worried about you," Ryuuen said, looking at me earnestly. "Classes had ended and you weren't there, and just as we all walked outside, we saw Doukun jumping up and down and screaming at this red car, and suddenly Houjun just took off and the next thing we knew he had crashed your window and carried you out!"

"You could've died, kid. Be careful next time, won't you?"

Yet again, the flush climbed my cheeks, and I was too busy fighting it to reply. Fuck, I couldn't help it. It's not like I wanted to remember his arms around me. It's not like I even chose to dream of the guy. But I did, and I had, anyhow.

Ryuuen exchanged yet another glance with Houjun above my head. I was beginning to feel annoyed. What was this, the Secret fucking Service? 

A nurse bustled in just then, looking at the crowd that had gathered in the room with distaste. "Please leave. The patient needs his rest. You can come back during visiting hours again tomorrow."

"Shucks, Gen, I'll see ya when ya get outta here, bud. Don't forget ya got a race coming up!"

"Okay, Genrou, see you! You'd better be back to school soon! Or the principal will make me come here and tutor you!"

"Take care of yourself, kid."

"I got your biology notes, Genrou!"

As they left, one by one, I waved and slid down into the covers and exhaled softly, turning away and pretending to close my eyes. But I looked under my lashes, to see the last figure that lingered there.

"Goodnight, Genrou," he said softly, "I'll come and see you tomorrow." I watched as the curtains closed behind him, before pulling the blankets over my head.

^*^*^

Eehehehhehehe kkkkk see, the action's only begun!!! I seem to be writing longer and longer chapters…..gomen if the long-windedness is making you all bored because I wanted ta show that there are real issues when it comes to guy-guy relationships in our modern society, and that most people have fixed mindsets about what they are and what they aren't. =| But I promise there'll be more interesting stuff to come when Genrou starts racing again and when more and more of his memories start coming back!!!!! Pleeeeeease bear with me!!!!

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	7. So I was pretending to be asleep. SO WH...

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Right!!!! Me, back again after my first paper!!! I'm sneaking time out to write this, so forgive me for any warped parts which might have snuck past my spelling checker! I can't express how grateful I am for all your reviews and words of encouragement and all that stuff (shucks I'm really bad at this). On with Chapter Seven!!! *cheers* Hope you enjoy it, and don't forget to R&R!!!!

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Chapter Seven

I opened my eyes with a start.

Not my room. Check. Air-conditioner switched on with purpose of freezing me to death. Check. Bright sunlight that hit my sore eyes, very effectively blinding me for a few seconds. Check. Voices outside the curtains, less than three feet away, also very successful in making me wake up a grumpy man. Check.

Er. Wait. Voices?

I snuggled deeper into the sheets as the voices came closer.

"He doesn't remember anything, Nuriko." Hey, that was Houjun's voice. He sounded sad, heartbreakingly almost. I got angry just thinking about whom might have made that smile drop from his face, before his words sank in. Who in the hells was Nuriko?

"I know. He roomed with me before, remember?" 

Ryuuen. That was Ryuuen.

"I was so excited to see him, Nuriko," Houjun continued. I stared hard at their silhouettes behind the curtains. "I—I lost it for awhile."

Ryuuen laughed. _Of course it's Ryuuen, what are you thinking now? It's Ryuuen's voice, it's Ryuuen's laugh. Ryuuen is fucking laughing. Why am I so disturbed by that fact?_

"I know, Chichiri. He told me all about how some weirdo in his first class kissed him. I'm glad you found a cover for that. Just do restrain yourself in the future."

Chichiri? CHICHIRI? Shit.

_That's the name I heard. That's the name in my head._

"I was so worried when Doukun shouted that he was unconscious," Houjun whispered softly. "For a moment, I really thought I would lose him again."

I guess it's safe to conclude by this point of time that they were talking about me. 

"Nah, Chiri, stop worrying! He's fine now, asleep like a baby. Look!"

I snapped my eyes shut just in time as the curtains were pulled open.

"Genrou," I heard the sound of footsteps coming closer, then pause beside my head. 

_Should I "wake up" now? Should I?_

Before I could decide whether or not I would get into trouble, a smooth hand touched my cheek, softly, before quickly stealing away. More like a brush really.

It sent tingles up my spine.

"I do wonder. If he can't remember…maybe…maybe he isn't Tasuki, anymore, you know?"

Tasuki. Tasuki. Why did that name sound so familiar too?

"C'mon, Chiri! You know that's not true."

He laughed, and that sound alone managed to make me warm all over_. Fuck. I have a crush. A big crush on Houjun Ri. _

Hey I've accepted that fact, okay? You can stop taunting me now.

"You've got your memories, Chiri. That has to be a reason. And I can't think of any better reason than Tasuki—or Genrou—right?"

Who the hell was Tasuki? Houjun's old flame or something? And why did Ryuuen keep calling Houjun "Chiri"?

"You're right, Nuriko."

_For god's sake, please tell me these aren't their fucking pet names for each other or something._

"All you can do at this point of time is to cherish him, you know?" Ryuuen again. "Suzaku has given both of you another chance."

I felt my heart clench. Who was Houjun supposed to cherish? And what in the name of peanuts was a Suzaku?

"Cherish him," Houjun echoed softly.

I decided that if there was a good time for waking up, it would be now, so I opened one eye.

"Good morning."

They jumped apart guiltily as I made a big show of yawning, stretching, and then clumsily propping myself up on the bed with a pillow. They had been standing there, side by side, for quite a while apparently.

"Genrou!" Ryuuen found his voice first. I looked at Houjun, and all the pretenses just flew out the window. To my horror, I found myself shaking slightly.

"Are you all right?" Ryuuen asked, concerned, coming forward to sit on the bed as he felt my forehead for my temperature. "You look funny, Gen. Maybe we should call the doctor—"

"I'm fine." That came out a lot sharper, and raspier, than I had intended it to. I watched as Ryuuen's face closed slightly, and I felt instantly guilty. "Really, Ryuuen, ya shouldn't be skipping school to come today."

A vein throbbed dangerously in the student leader's forehead. "You don't want me around?"

I scowled and crossed my arms. "You know that's not what I fucking meant, Ryuuen!"

He laughed at me, then his gaze slid past and back to Houjun, and he stood abruptly. "I'll be going to get some coffee. Houjun, you want anything? Right, I'll be a moment outside."

As his footsteps faded, I instinctively dropped my eyes to the mattress, finding instant fascination with the eyelets of the cotton blanket. That was, until he sat down beside me, taking the place where Ryuuen had sat earlier. I managed to look up, but my cheeks were burning.

"Ihaven'tthankedyouyetforsavingme," I blurted out in a rush. _So…uh…duh…_

"Thanks," I whispered, closing my eyes and wondering how hot my face could get just from talking. Or maybe it wasn't just talking. He was sitting so fucking close I could smell him. 

And damn, he smelt good.

_Genrou Shun, you're such a deprived ass._

"Hey, hey, it's all right," he reassured me, reaching across the sheets to touch my hand lightly. 

_If I blush any harder, they're going to have to change my name to Chili Shun._

And to change the subject, I decided to babble. Or rather, my brain switched off and my mouth decided to babble. Rather thoughtlessly, because the first words that came out were,

"I heard you talking just now. What was that all about?"

He froze.

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Tada that's it for here!!!! Will be awhile before I can come out with the next one *cries* because my papers end only in a week!!!! But meanwhile please let me know what you think about how this is going so far!!!! *cheers*

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	8. The Past

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IT'S ME AGAIN! REMEMBER ME??? HEEHEEHEE! 

I'm sorry I took so long with this chapter!!!! I got lazy after papers ended and forgot about this for a while! But to go on with it, here's an extra long chapter to make up for keeping you guys waiting (um, that is, if anyone stuck around)!!!! R&R pleeeeeeeease?!?!

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Chapter Eight

Something told me I'd just managed to put my foot in my mouth. Don't be stupid. I didn't mean literally.

"Ah," I began with a weak laugh. 

His hand (which, may I remind you, was on mine) tightened its grip slightly. For some strange reason, I flushed. 

"How much did you hear?" he asked. His voice was low, husky with some almost-tangible emotion. Somehow, and I'm not saying this to act like some silly smart aleck, I knew the question inside the question was: How much do you know?

"Everything?"

He bit his lip, never taking his eyes off me. It suddenly struck me what I was getting myself into. I didn't know this guy. Hell, no, right? Then why, pray why, was he making me this upset?

"Do you—" he hesitated, but squeezed my hand a little before continuing. "—do you remember any of that?"

I scratched my head and opened my mouth to apologize.

Sudden flashbacks slammed into my mind with all the force of five hundred sledgehammers. I gasped for breath; it felt like I was drowning, sinking, choking and dying.

And then…that face appeared again. 

^*^*^

_I could see his lips moving, but I couldn't hear a single word. The unwilling tears found their way down my cheeks then, trailing hotly from my eyes, because I knew then. _

I knew it was the end for us here.

Closing my eyes, I felt myself smile. It was getting dreadfully cold.

"Hold me," I whispered.

The arms tightened around me.

Suzaku, I'm grateful. You've given me more than I asked for.

_Silence roared in my ears, before everything faded to black._

^*^*^

"Genrou!" 

I hadn't realized until then, that the shock and horror had been written on my face, open for the world to see. And that the voice belonged to Ryuuen, and that the shattering of the cups on the floor as he hurtled towards me and threw his arms around me was real, and in the present. 

The cold receded to warmth, the blurry figments of a few moments ago sharpened into the one face that looked straight at me.

"It was you," I choked out, my trembling hand rising enough to point at him accusingly. "It was you."

I was shaking uncontrollably. 

He started to say something.

"Don't lie to me!" I snarled, grabbing the sheets in an effort to calm myself. "Tell me what—what the fuck is going on around here! Why do I see all that? Why do I feel myself dying? Why the fuck am I bleeding and WHY. THE. FUCK. DO. I. KEEP. SEEING. YOUR. FACE?"

Ryuuen stared at me in shock. "Genrou, cool down!"

My shoulders heaved. "It was fine until he came," I sobbed, not caring that Ryuuen was probably the first (and the last) person who would ever see me cry like that. _It was all normal and fine until he came._

Houjun was staring at me, and then he rose and seemed to come to a decision. 

_He seems so sad…_

"I'm sorry," he finally said. "I—I'll leave you now."

And before I could say anything, he had slipped past the curtains. I heard the slight creak of the door being pulled open, before he silently left, and I couldn't sense him anymore.

Back up. Since when had I been able to sense him?

"Genrou?"

I had almost forgotten about Ryuuen, but the moment I heard his voice, something snapped.

"You know about this too!" I hissed, turning on him, shrugging his arms off me. "You know what's messing with my mind! I heard you talking to him! Don't pretend you don't know!"

Ryuuen frowned. "Can you…remember anything?" he asked delicately.

I could have screamed.

"NO!"

It was a lie. I could see Houjun's face, and I could feel something deep in my heart, an ache as I looked up at that vision and pulled myself closer to it. I knew he had been there, in the dream. And I knew, as crazy as it sounded, that it also wasn't just a dream.

I swallowed the anger and frustration, and tried to collect myself as much as I could before speaking. "Tell me what's going on, Ryuuen."

He started to look away.

"Please!"

I knew I was begging. I didn't care.

_I need to know._

Ryuuen exhaled.

"You're getting your memories back," he said after a while. "That's all."

I'm WHAT?

"Run that by me again, Ryuuen?"

"Okay," he rose and clambered off the bed, pulling one of the chairs closer before propping himself on the arm and settling into the seat. "I'm going to keep this short, and as direct, as possible. Hear me out and don't say anything."

I bit my tongue.

"We're friends from a millennium past, Genrou. We were once fighters, warriors with a mission. We had to protect a girl, a maiden, so that she could summon a god. There were seven of us. Seven protectors."

He paused and shook his hair out of his eyes.

"My name was Nuriko. I died defending an object that would aid the maiden, and I was the first of them to go. Most of the others perished in a Great War. Then there was Houjun. His name was Chichiri back then. He was the oldest, and the most powerful, and he survived the battle. With you."

"You were called Tasuki back then. You were the noisiest, the most uncontrolled and the most crazy one back then. You were a bandit, and you would fire people off at whims, with your weapon. You had a supernatural gift of speed, and you fought with—"

"A tessen."

His eyes widened, and I felt immediately foolish. "I mean, ya know, a fan thing. Made of some good metal shit, I think, and it was really big and heavy and I kept it on my back—" I realized I was beginning to babble, and shut up.

"Yes," he whispered, a small smile spreading on his face. "That's right."

"What happened after that?" I asked abruptly.

He closed his eyes. 

"Chichiri and Tasuki traveled for a long time after that. Many years, if Houjun recalls correctly. The both of you…fell in love."

My jaw sank to the sheets, and he continued hurriedly, as if he knew I was about to start shooting questions and didn't want me to interrupt.

"Yes. You were soul mates, together with the blessing of the god you served, the Southern God Suzaku. You were happy together. But then war began again." 

"Tasuki wanted to fight, but Chichiri was against it. You two had arguments over that, serious arguments, fatal arguments. You left him one night and enlisted with the guards. They sent you to the front the day the enemy joined and sprung a surprise attack."

_I got killed in that battle._

"Chichiri woke and found you missing. He knew where you had gone. He got to the battlefield just as you were hit. But by then…" Ryuuen's voice was trailing off, but he finished his sentence in a whisper. "By then it was too late to save you." 

_It was raining that day. I remember. _

"He made a promise to you, Genrou. A promise on top of the vow that both of you had, to be together forever. He promised you he would find you, be it in Hell, Heaven, or wherever it was that you might go after death. In this case, it's your new life, Genrou. You've been reincarnated, and so have all of us. It's come full circle."

"So it wasn't just a dream," I managed hoarsely.

Ryuuen shook his head.

"This is real," he shrugged.

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How is it, how is it?!!? Have I utterly lost track of the story or am I just beginning to bore everyone now?!?! It's not the end you know!!! I've got GREEEEEAT plans to make them all embroiled in a soup pot! *evil laugh* Tell me what you think!!!!

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	9. Damn We really were lovers, weren't we?

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It's me! I'm back! 

How do I possibly apologize for forgetting this story? *grovels and begs for forgiveness from readers* (Is there still anyone reading this? No? Eeps.) 

Well, um…on to the chapter?

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Chapter Nine

I had a stinking suspicion I was beginning to represent a goldfish. A drowning goldfish at that…can goldfish drown?

"Is there anything else about this entire mess that I should know?" I demanded.

Ryuuen squirmed slightly. "Define 'anything else', Genrou."

I thought about it. 

"Any other people around who know about this? Who know about me, about the whole Southern god thing, about—" and I cursed my voice for cracking slightly, "—about Houjun?"

I congratulated myself for managing to pronounce that name. I refused to even think about the dying bit. It hurt. Literally, I mean. It was like everything from the dreams had become clear, and I could remember them, and the warmth and comfort and security and love that had been my last memory couldn't wash the pain away. Not really, anyhow.

I reminded myself sharply that 'all the warmth and comfort and security and love' had come from the reincarnation of the man who had made me crash, hard, on first sight just the day before. Or was it two days before? I was going senile. 

Ryuuen smiled at me, and reached out to cover my hand gently with one of his own. "Yes. There were seven of us, remember?"

__

Is he saying that every fucking one of this so-called seven warriors remember this entire freaking period in time with the exception of me?

"Who?" my eyes were getting tired. I wanted nothing more than to curl up and go to sleep.

But then, would the dreams come again? I was sick of seeing my death.

And another, more terrible, guilty feeling, as the emotions of those final moments, looking up into that beautiful face, streaked with tears, coursed through my blood.

"You're worn out," he said gently, rising and patting my hand even as I fought, unsuccessfully, to protest. "I'll come back tomorrow, okay? And then I'll tell you everything."

"Everything?"

Ryuuen laughed. "Every single thing. For now, I still have my papers to pass, so I'll need to get back and cram. You on the other hand, should get some rest. Carbon monoxide poisoning isn't as harmless as most people think it is, you know."

I watched him brush off his clothes, scanning the area carefully. _For what, dust?_ I asked myself sarcastically. Just as he turned to leave, I couldn't stop the last question, the one lurking in the back of my mind, from emerging, and immediately after I said it, I wished I could take it back.

"What did you say?" he asked, turning around, looking surprised. I bit my lip. It didn't matter. I didn't want to know, didn't need to know. I didn't have to know. 

"Did he really love me?" 

My voice had fallen to a pathetic whisper, and I shut my eyes and turned around, mumbling something dismissive to try and cover up the sudden shock of sadness that seemed to be overwhelming me. All of these feelings were new and strange…but the most annoying part of it was that they felt…well…natural.

__

I've been taken over by an alien. An alien named—what was his name again? —Oh right, Tasuki.

It was quiet after that, so I figured Ryuuen must have left without answering when he thought I had dropped off to sleep. I was restless, tossing and turning, bone-weary but not able to succumb, and it seemed eons later that my eyelids grew heavy enough to close. And that was when I heard it. Just a soft voice from outside the protective circle of blue curtain, a slightly wavering shadow by the light of the moon that shone through the window, piercing through the darkness of the room, cutting through the bleakness in my heart. The weirdest part was how I seemed to hear it in my mind, and not through my ears.

__

"Yes. I still do. Love you, I mean."

If I had had the energy, or the bearings to be wakeful and alert, I might have laughed. As it was, I fell asleep with the last thought that Houjun was there, and I could sense the man, and he remembered things I couldn't remember, but most of all, that…that…

__

He loves me.

^*^*^

I awoke from my thankfully dreamless sleep to the same bland curtains, the trickle of sunlight that planted golden rays across my vision, and the sound of soft breathing. I prepared myself for the dry, hacking pain that would seize my throat when I breathed, but…nothing happened.

I suddenly noted that the dizziness wasn't there anymore, and that I could turn my head without feeling as though the room was going in cartwheels.

It had to be another leaf in the book of the miracles of air-conditioning.

Still wary, I sat up, thankful to realize that the ache in my back was simply due to lying down for so long, and not anything else. My neck was cramped, but my head wasn't light and the air wasn't heavy anymore. Taking a calculated risk, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, and was pleased when they hit the ground firmly.

Pulling open the curtains, I winced slightly at the bright sunlight hitting and brightening up the ward. Black spots danced for a few moments, before they cleared. Cautiously, I stepped out, hearing the soft whoosh as the curtain closed behind me. And then I turned around.

_Damn, that is one fine man._

I gritted my teeth and nearly screamed hysterically at the traitorous thought that had swooped smugly down into my brain the moment I had caught sight of Houjun. Who would've guessed the make-up effects of sunshine on sleeping beauties? 

__

I did not just think that. I did not just think that.

The back of my mind reminded me, in a snickering sort of tone, that regardless of whether I thought that Houjun was a sleeping beauty or not, the fact of the matter presented itself before my eyes.

Have I mentioned that Houjun is average? I'm sure I have. He's just that, your everyday, average sort of guy. He isn't so pretty as to make people go blind. His hair was so black it seemed blue, his skin was tanned from whatever it was he did out of school, and his features were slightly asymmetrical. He didn't have the blooming, full lips of Saihitei Toru, or defined cheekbones like Ryuuen. Just ordinary, ordinary Houjun Ri.

_He's gorgeous,_ my heart quipped. 

Okay. So maybe I didn't have enough trouble as I had imagined I would have in believing that I might have loved this man in a previous life. 

My eyes traveled over Houjun's face as I stepped closer, unable to prevent myself from just getting nearer, if only to smell him. The distinctive memory of his fragrance from the time in the classroom suddenly popped back into my head in the most disturbing way.

__

He smells like sunlight, and heat, and cinnamon, and incense, and flowers. He smells like courage, like laughter, like fear, like tears and rain.

Oh God. I am turning into a fucking SAP for a guy I didn't know a week ago.

Naturally, my mind chose that exact moment to remind myself that I apparently knew Houjun from thousands of years ago. When we had been lovers. Had known him very well indeed, and wanted him all the more for all the banished insecurities and shared moments of trouble.

Where was that coming from? I hadn't known any of this up till about five seconds ago. I had the sudden, ridiculous urge to just pounce forward and hold the guy, to make sure he was real, and that it wasn't just a dream.

__

Or that he isn't just the man from my dream, either.

I want to know that he's really here, right now.

^*^*^

__

It was raining terribly hard outside. Two men sat around a blazing fire, the younger of the two wrapped up securely in the embrace of the other. Beside the spare wood that was propped in the back of the cave to keep dry, was the remnants of the fish and vegetable gravy of their dinner, packed in a leaf and set by the fire to keep warm.

"Fuck, Chiri, I hate the rain."

A small smile curved the lips of the blue-haired man. "At least you're not swimming in it, no da."

The red-haired bandit shifted slightly, teasingly, against his lover, turning to look up and brush away the slightly mauve bangs that fell over the scarred face. "Nothing would make me go out in the rain."

The monk raised an eyebrow quizzically at him, and then, of all the things to do, smirked. "Absolutely nothing?

The bandit grinned, baring his fangs. "Absolutely."

In the next moment, he was dumped unceremoniously to the ground. "Ow!" he complained, rubbing his sore backside, when strong hands hefted him to his feet. "Excuse me?" he demanded indignantly, spinning around to meet a definite twinkle in the single, slanted mahogany eye, trying to ignore the fact that his lover looked incredibly sexy when he had that devilish look about his visage, or that his legs were turning shaky from the proximity of the mage.

And then the older man was stripping off his kesa, pulling the heavy material off, folding it and bending to set it on the ground. He looked up, smiling as he caught the hot look in the younger man's eyes at his actions, and then stood, moving in small steps, unmistakably, for the mouth of the cave, towards the heart of the storm outside.

The bandit's eyes narrowed. "Oh no, you don't."

"Don't what?" the monk asked innocently, backing out still further. The wind caught hold of the long blue hair, tossing it this way and that as the first few drops of water darkened and matted the silky strands. "I'm hardly asking you to go out into the rain, Tasuki."

The younger man growled as he strode forward, leaping up just as the mage moved nimbly back, straight into the whistling wind, into the blackness of the night, laughing softly as the rainstorm wrapped around him, beating onto his bared skin, soaking his hair and the white cotton drawstring pants. Raindrops played on the tanned skin, running down the strong, toned body in rivulets as the monk closed his eye and turned his face up to the raging heavens, silently chuckling to himself at the look of stern disapproval and sheer frustration that he was certain would be plain writ on the bandit's face.

Suddenly, a warm weight encircled him, and his eye flew open in shock, meeting a not-quite-snickering amber gaze in which unadulterated fire danced. The bandit had stripped similarly to pants before venturing out of the cave. 

Skin, heated with lust and challenge, met skin. As they stood looking at each other, bound together in the confines of that strong embrace, the rain pouring down upon them, it was as though time had stood still.

^*^*^

I gasped and opened my eyes, staggering back as the vision ended, leaving me with an almost hollow void in the pit of my stomach. And that was when I realized that Houjun was awake. Staring at me.

"Do you remember that?" his voice came out as a strangled croak, and I didn't pause to register the fact that that question meant that he had had the same vision, probably in a dream, at the same time as it had come upon me. The flush was crawling up my neck, and I felt as though my face was on fire. What made it worse was that I understood how it had unsettled him and jolted him from sleep.

Because it had been intense. 

_Erotic, even._

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, attempting to disregard the warmth that spread through my body from my stomach, a kind of slow, soothing warmth that made my heart flutter.

I had no idea how long we froze there, me standing and memorizing the curve of his face, him sitting in that chair, still curled up, meeting my gaze not-quite head-on, cheeks stained a light pink.

_"This is real."_ I remembered Ryuuen saying solemnly. 

Hell, yea.

The door to the ward flung open. 

^*^*^

This chapter is twice as long as anything I've ever posted before! I hope you like it, no actually, I hope all of you love it, and take it as penitence for not continuing this for three months. I honest to goodness forgot all about it. *gulps* Gomen nasai! *bows again* Please R&R!

^*^*^


End file.
